I've always felt that Rick Tocchet was one of those guys who deserved a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. After all, he is the league leader in "Gordie Howe hat tricks" (18) and is one of a few NHL players with 400 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes, among them Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan. Overall, he is 10th all-time in penalty minutes and tied with Anze Kopitar for 75th in goals scored (440) across an 18-year career.
Tocchet has often played alongside some of the best in NHL history. In his first stint in Philadelphia, he played with Derrick Smith and Peter Zezel. After being traded to Pittsburgh for Mark Recchi, his linemates included Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens. A few years later, after joining the Phoenix Coyotes, he shared a line with Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk. Many of his teammates have said that he was a great player to have on their side and in the locker room.
With over 40 years of experience and extensive hockey knowledge, I believe there are two players he can share his skills with to help improve their game.
Owen Tippett
Tippett is expected to be one of the foundational pieces of this team moving forward. There is no question he has the skills and abilities to be a great player. He took a step back this year due to injuries, but still had a third straight 20+ goal season. Some feel that Tippett is expendable and should be dealt away while he is still valuable.
Tippett has speed and can shoot well. However, he lacks one key ingredient holding him back. He needs to learn how to be aggressive; especially in front of the net. He needs to learn how to fight for the rebounds, battle for the puck, and use his size (6'1", 210) to his advantage. Taking on some of Tocchett's characteristics could make him a more dangerous player. If he could battle more in front of the net, he could add 5-10 more goals a season and that could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.
Shane Vansaghi
After the Flyers drafted him, I had to look up the scouting reports. He was not someone I was familiar with. Every report I read said the same thing "aggressive", "big size", "powerful in front of the net", "battles", etc. Everything I read reminded me of Tocchet. He has already been compared to a young version of him.
With this in mind, during the Flyers' rookie camps, Tocchet can easily take him under his wing and guide him. He can teach him how to hone those skills and become a better player. Instead of making the mistakes young players tend to make, Tocchet can help him advance a year or two by helping him become the player he is. Let's be honest, you don't stick around the NHL for 18 years if you suck. Tocchet is a role model for Vansaghi to mold his game after.